Parasite part one:Exodus
by Cygnus Mues
Summary: Torina and her friends leave Ta'lla behind. Samus Aran and the other Hunters meet the Ta llash people and Torina's thirst for revenge.


6

Parasite

Part One- Exodus

Prologue-Gone

Torina let her life fly before her. She had no doubt that she would die. The Soulless attacking was just lifting his claw to cut her heart out-

When a Ta`llash knife pulsed through its gut and sliced upward, splitting it like one of Earth's bananas. The Soulless crumpled under its own weight, revealing Ha`ck Vice, the only Ta`llan who didn't treat her with respect.

He smiled and pulled her up. "_Does her Ladyship require assistance?" _

A clang and a groan tore through the battle field, ripping at Torina's heart. Glancing over her shoulder, over on the rope bridge, across the lava river that came out from under the arch, an older Ta`llan barely held off the horned Soulless.

She turned back to Ha`ck Vice. "_No, thank you, but his Lordship does. Excuse me_."

Grabbing a sword from a fallen Ta`llan, Torina turned and burst through the battle field; occasionally stabbing a soulless for a fellow comrade.

Another yell was emitted from the older Ta`llan, having been thrown to the planks on the weak bridge. The Horned Soulless wrestled Ta`llash from the old man's hand and with the Honored Sword of Taol, he killed the old man, who died to the tone of Torina's screams.

Chapter One- Spy

It had many cycles since Torina had watched her father fall to the Horned Soulless. Her people had since disappeared. She was alone, on the ledge above the Soulless's meeting place.

And the worst of it was: The Horned Soulless still had Ta`llash, the Honored Sword of Taol, even after many cycles of attempted theft, watching, waiting and planning.

A Soulless glanced over its shoulder, probably sensing her gaze. But her reflexes were swift, and before he had turned his face upward, she was down, watching when the Soulless turned its attention back at its leader.

Suddenly, overhead, four strange birds flew by. None of them flapped their wings, and fire came out of their tail feathers. The one that impressed Torina the most was the orange one, with the green eye. The sight of the strange birds filled her with hope and caution.

The Horned Soulless on the other hand, began to shake with rage and motioned for ten of the group to go out by a certain way, the others he simply motioned to leave. They scattered and tripped over each other in their haste. When none remained, the Horned Soulless turned and disappeared into one of the many secret, and dangerous, passageways.

Torina scowled, than heaved herself up from her lying-down position and turned to climb up the wall behind her. _After all, those strangers need some attention, too._

Chapter Two-Hidden

Samus Aran, the moment she stepped out of her ship, knew that something was up. The air was thick, despite her suits advancements. It was also too quiet; there was usually something around- besides those space pirates jumping off of the cliff above her.

"Oh, shoot"'

She quickly shot two before they hit the ground and the three fell dead. Ghor crushed a couple as Rundas froze a few more. Gandrayda and Samus finished those off as they broke out of their icy cages.

Breathing a little deeply, Samus walked toward the two she had originally shot. 'I shot two… and three fell dead…' Then she spotted the third, arms and legs sprawled out, an old fashioned throwing knife deep in between his collar bone.

"Guys, come look at this." She said calmly.

Rundas was the first there, not being too far away from Samus unless he couldn't help it. "What is that silver ice…thing?"

"You know what this means right?" Samus asked the other two.

"No matter what Dane told us…" Ghor growled.

"Besides the usual enemies-"Gandrayda interrupted.

"We're not alone." Samus finished.

Rundas wagged his head back and forth. "Does anyone know what that thing is?"

Chapter Three-Strangers and Old Friends

_The Strangers were alerted to a Presence. _Torina followed them on the tops of the cliffs as they walked through all of her old haunts; the Graveyard, where so many never would get a proper burial, the old streets, where so many children played. And finally, the mine-her father, the Lord of Ta`lla's greatest achievement. The whole mine was enclosed, being almost hidden in a cave up on the mountain. Torina followed the four on foot, ducking behind whatever would give her cover.

She hadn't been here in years, not since she shut the heavy door with the big elaborate switch and shut off all the power, leaving a dark atmosphere. . The Strangers moved around the big heavy machinery and the touch pads to the big door, behind which all the Lava was mined.

Out of the corner of her eye, behind some of the desks, rose a Soulless. Dark purple. With horns.

The Orange One, the one that got out of the Orange Bird, was the first to see it, and began to pelt something at it out of that green tube where an arm would be. The Square/Metal One rushed to the right to stop the Horned Soulless from leaving, and thus the battle commenced, pushing the Horned One back to the door.

Torina quickly typed something into one of the touchpads behind her and power revved through the Outer Mine. Lights flickered on, giving these warriors some more light to see by.

Bounding out from behind the machinery, she tore up the steps that lead up to the leaver, drawing the attention of the Horned Soulless. He growled, but the others merely glanced at her and continued the elaborate dance.

Reaching the leaver-of-a-switch, Torina shoved it forward until, with a clank, the leaver settled into its new position and the door began to rise, the Horned Soulless backing into the Inner Mine, the room with the big lava lake in the middle.

Torina swung over the railing and thumped easily to the floor. Then, charging like a haxtus-bull, she rammed into the Orange One, and shoved her right on through the door.

The Blue one darted forward, and just as the bar on the door was released, he rolled, just barely missing the door as it snapped shut, leaving The Purple One and the Metal Square one on the other side.

Trying to stop himself from flailing into the lava, the Horned One took Ta`llash and tried to drive the three of them back. However, after the first clumsy swing, Torina stepped forward and punched the Horned Soulless in the jaw, seizing the sword with her weak hand.

The Horned Thing turned to her grabbed her by the shirt. With amazing strength, he swung her around, letting go so that she would land in the lava.

But she still held on to the sword.

With his free hand he tried to knock her hand off, but then the barrage of fire and ice began; the Blue and Orange One's finally gotten over their amazement and horror.

The Horned Soulless shoved her away, letting go of Ta`llash. Torina barely missed the lava and hit the hot rock. Lavic waves began to wash over her legs, her right arm, and her long braided hair, which caused pain that not even a Ta`llan could bear. She thought she heard something land next to her left arm, but she found that she didn't care.

Her only thought was: "_I come my father. I come…"_

The girl from Ta`lla, the one with the strawberry blonde hair and the missing limbs, lay in the ICU aboard the G.F.S. Olympus. "Incredible," muttered Dr. Clark. "No normal human being could survive burns of this magnitude. Excuse me." the door clang shut behind him, leaving the Hunters and Admiral Dane to muse among themselves.

"She sure gave us a scare." Gandrayda mumbled, referring to the throwing knife and the sword, which had been confirmed by Samus's scans to be of the same craftsmanship.

"It's a shame they had to cut off her hair." Samus said softly to herself.

"Samus, you make it sound like they gave her a buzz cut." Rundas chided fondly. "They merely cut it down to her chin."

"Yeah, I know."

"She's going to go through a lot to get these automatic limbs working." Ghor picked one of the legs up, examining it. "They should have given it a more natural color. These look like boots."

"They're supposed to!" Dane said angrily. "No one is ever going to suspect that there is machinery underneath attractive, black, high-heeled boots."

"And the black hand?" Ghor questioned, waving it at the Admiral.

The Admiral hesitated for a second. "We can't help that. She'll have to live with it."

"Oh, she will." Samus said confidently.

Above the ICU, the heart monitor beeped encouragingly.

Chapter Four-Samus Aran

After Torina's sight faded to black, she expected to walk along the fire-y road to follow the Ancient Ta`llans on the road to Taol's City. Instead, she dwelled in the blackness, occasionally stabbed by a spasm of pain.

Then the black began to turn white, then a pallet of colors. It was all unfocused. Torina blinked profusely, and the white and the yellow and the blue and pink merged into the shape of a woman, sitting on Torina's shelf right next to her.

"_Am I dead?"_ She asked the women, who turned to another figure in the room. A purple figure.

With a cackle of purple electricity, the Purple One merged into Torina's father, the beard, the grey hair, the robes, everything was complete.

The shock was too much for her and she began to babble, scooting into the wall. "_I'm sorry, Father! I tried to avenge you, really I did but-"_

Torina's father held up a hand and interrupted her. "_I saw a statue of this figure and we decided that, if necessary, I could talk to you through him. I did not mean to cause you distress."_

_ "Y-you mean you are not my father?" _Torina said shakily.

_"Nope."_

_ "Oh. Well, am I dead?"_

_ "Another nope." _The father figure responded."_ "You just lost your limbs to your planet's fire." _

_ "You mean my legs?" _Torina looked down. Black boots came up to her knees, visible due to the fact that she was wearing shorts. "_They weird despite being t burned."_

_ "Our scientists made you mechanical limbs. Black was the only color that could protect the machinery underneath. By the way, my name is Gandrayda."_

_ "_Gone-tray-da?" Torina repeated, letting the strange syllables slide over her tongue.

"_Yes." _H-She motioned to the metal one besides her. "This is Ghor."

"Gore?" He seemed a lot smaller without the square, but at least his head was visible as he nodded.

"_That blue thing is Rundas." _

Torina giggled and repeated "Rune-das?"

"And that leaves Samus." As Gandrayda said her name, the woman on Torina's shelf waved her hand a little bit."

"Sam-oos?"

Samus smiled broadly and shook her head.

"Sam-ooch?"

The blue thing, a.k.a. Rundas, snickered softly.

Feeling defeated, Torina leaned against the wall of her shelf.

Then Samus spoke, her eye's smiling kindly at her. "Sam." And she held her hand out for a hand shake.

_ "Sam." _Torina gripped Sam's hand with her own, then she felt her face turn pale as she saw a black hand responding to her unconscious thoughts.

Turning to Gandrayda, she demanded:_ "What is this?"_

_ "You lost your arm and your legs to your planet's fire." Gandrayda repeated sadly._

"_But what is it?" _Torina demanded again.

_ "I already told you! An automated limb. It should work as well as the real one, perhaps even better since we uploaded different styles of sword fighting onto it." _

That reminded her_. "Where is my sword?" _She asked, toning down her tone a bit.

_ "It is here and it is safe. But, ah," _Gandrayda pulled out and "L" shaped thing ,black and pulsing with power._ "Admiral Dane thought that this would be better than a throwing knife." _She said handing it to her.

Torina held it upside down, unimpressed._ "What is it?"_

_ "It's a gun. You pull the trigger and-"_

But Torina was already trying it out, pulling the small lever in the crook of the… _gun_.

An explosion happened just over Gandrayda's head, and Torina's eye's widened. "_Oh…. So that's what it does." _

Gandrayda fumed while the other three chuckled.

Chapter Five-Going to Leave

"OUCH!" Torina exclaimed. "Geez, Louise, why didn't you say that cutting out the last thread would hurt?"

"Well, at least it works." Samus chuckled.

"It's not going to last, is it?" Torina asked hopefully.

"Pain, no. Chip, yes." Dr. Clark said winding up some thread and began briefing her about the thing he had just installed in her head. "The microchip works like a computer."

"Like Samus's helmet?" A couple weeks ago, Torina had been introduced to the big orange thing and was still comparing things to it.

"Yes, actually. Anything you look at will be immediately psychoanalyzed and stored into your memory system.

"Cool." Rundas muttered. "Can I get one?"

"And you know every known language in the galaxy. See ya. Glad it works!" he called as he popped out of the door.

"Uh, huh. Personally, Rundas, your friend is nuts."

"I could have told you that, Gandrayda!"

"Um… can I ask you guys something?" Torina interrupted hesitantly.

"Sure."

"Yeah, totally."

"What are you thinking about?"

Over the past couple of months, Torina and the Four Hunters had become rather close, despite the language barrier. Every second of the day was spent in training, target practice, sleeping or eating. Or an old fashioned game called "Uno."

"I need to go back to Ta`lla."

Immediately three voices raised concerns and questions until Samus quieted them down with a very nice: "Shut up!" Then in a kinder tone: "Go on Torina."

"When I left, I had a family. And friends. I inherited leadership and a leader doesn't walk away from his people."

"You're a her." Ghor pointed out.

"It doesn't make a difference! I need to go back there and see that they're o.k. Possibly even move them. They can't live in hiding for long." She swallowed. "And besides, I have a debt to settle."

"What? Someone owes you money?" Rundas asked confusedly.

"She means that wacko Space Pirate and her dad on the bridge, Rundas. Shut up!" Gandrayda hissed.

"I just, I just have to go back. And, well," Torina added awkwardly, " I need a ride."

The room exploded with three voices again. This time with-

"A ride? You need a body guard!"

"A body guard? More like four!"

"Am I taking the whole lot again?"

" I hope not; that was awkward!"

"You're telling me!"

Then Admiral Dane's voice shut down everything. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!"

"We're going back to Ta`lla. Sir." Torina added respectfully.

"Ah, good. The microchip works. I was starting to hate Gandrayda translating for you. Now, why back to Ta`lla?"

"I have a debt to settle."

"Oh, so you'll need money." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "How much?"

"A dead body."

Admiral Dane flinched.

Chapter Six-Exodus

Torina could hardly believe she was back among the scenery. The big red sun, the black rocks, the red sand and the high canyon walls were a welcome sight, if only to Torina. "Home sweet home."

"Well, where do we go from here?" Ghor asked innocently.

Torina stopped shifting her sheath's shoulder belt and looked at him with eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"Ghor, any dolt can see that there is one way out of here!" Gandrayda said impatiently.

"Oh, well, I knew that! I was asking where she thought her family was."

"In the storage rooms, which would be…?" Torina searched her memory, following the route in her mind. "On the other side of the river. We'll have to cross it."

"Will it be dangerous?" Rundas asked noting her tone as she led them out into a high vaulted room.

"It's too open for my taste, and the bridge is built for single file lines, so yes."

"So, um, any big group leaving in a hurry will be slowed down?" Gandrayda asked as they turned right through a sliding door where they stopped dead short as Torina kept going.

Right in front of them was the river. But it was no river of water filled with ice, as Rundas was used to, but rather a river of lava, coming out from under the arch to their left. A ways in front of them was the bridge. Indeed it was very narrow, but to add to the Four Hunters dismay, it seemed to be made of rope. Rope with wood planks. Two lengths of rope went across and held the wood planks while another set of two lengths travelled at waist height over the rivers chasm.

"I take my question back. Any big group in a hurry will definitely be slowed down."

"It's sturdier than it looks." Torina scoffed softly, and to prove it, she began walking across the bridge, not using the ropes at her side, and not looking down.

"What about me!"Ghor hissed as the others began to cross as well. "Do I just stay here and stand guard?" He motioned to his big metal body, which would not fit on the bridge nor would the bridge hold him up.

"Sure." Torina shrugged.

"I don't see any reason why not." Gandrayda teased.

"Just hide in that entryway, won't you Ghor?" Rundas called back. "And be sure not to get stuck or we will all totally kill you."

"Not so loud or no talking!" Torina hissed.

It seemed that as the group headed to the storage units, two people were grumbling: Ghor because he was being left behind and Rundas because he was going,

Torina lead them with definite surety, and it wasn't long at all until she proclaimed that they arrived at the storage rooms. To be honest, they didn't look like rooms. It looked like a crater.

And there was nothing in the crater. Just a straight wall opposite the door.

"Uh, Torina… "Gandrayda began doubtfully.

"They're here." Torina strode up to the wall and knocked as if she was going to a friend's house.

The door slid open a few feet, then a harsh-ish voice came out and said something that the Hunters didn't understand.

But Torina understood it. "_Ha`ck Sargent go get my brother, Ha`ck Von Vice. Your lives depend on it." _Just after she finished her sentence, another voice answered.

"_What!" _Ha`ck Vice whined.

"_Do you wish to die?"_

"_No…"_

"_Because you're doomed if you stay here and I have friends who can find us a home like this one. Perhaps we'll move back one day, when all the Soulless One's are killed."_

Silence came from within.

Then one short sentence.

"What was that?" Samus asked.

"He says we might want to get inside." Torina translated looking over her shoulder behind them.

A hiss/growl caused the others to turn around. Two Space Pirates were on the top of the canyon walls. One of them turned and the other jumped down to their level. Because of the amazing skills of Samus Aran, Rundas and Gandrayda, it was dead before it hit the ground.

"_Torina, Taol's daughter, if we all die because of you, I'm going to haunt you when we reach Taol's City." _The voice hissed. Then it seemed to turn and direct others inside. "_Grab your bags! We are leaving!"_

The door opened all the way, and a crowd of thirty to fifty people flooded out. They all looked tired and dirty. Some of them had Torina's sheen of hair; the other's seemed the color of the rocks.

"Samus, can you lead them out of here?" Torina asked urgently.

Samus nodded, then waved to get the groups attention, then motioned forward.

Rundas and Gandrayda practically flew up to the top of the canyon as Torina ran along behind her people; pulling her sword out of its sheath and the gun out of its holster on her left hip. _Just in case…_

They were two rooms away when the Pirates began to appear; up on the walls, in the little side doors, and especially behind them. They shot balls of energy at them, which either missed the Ta`llans or the dodged easily; whether by Torina's sword or just because Ta`llans have great reflexes.

It was at the bridge though, that Torina's people lost their rear guard. A cry that was sort of a scream announced his arrival, and Torina turned back to face him. As he reached for her with his claws, Torina slashed it aside and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying.

Cursing, the Horned Space Pirate stood up, his warriors a few paces behind him. "**I was very angry when you and your friends took that sword, Firebait. I would be much obliged if you gave it back."**

It took a second for Torina to realize that she understood the slithering that was coming out of the creature's mouth. Then she remembered the microchip and prayed that she would be able to speak this thing's language. **"You haven't been kind these last cycles, have you?"** She said, imitating his slithering language.

"**Let me have that sword, Firebait."** The thing spat and Torina began taking steps back, hoping to hurry the remaining few on the bridge.

"**I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."**

"**None of your business."** He spat again.

"**If I am to do business, I would like to know who with."** She stopped taking steps back when she was about in the middle of the bridge. Too bad the thing had followed her back every step of the way.

"**Omega."**

"**How fitting. You will be the last leader of the Space Pirates if I have anything to say about it." **

With a growl, Omega the Horned Space Pirate tried to leap over Torina, but just as he was passing over head, she slashed his leg with her sword and he crashed to the wooden planks.

Using her almost new, high-heeled, black boots, Torina kicked him into the river where he screamed and the Space Pirates began to barrage her with the Energy Balls.

Too bad for them Ghor was there. With excruciating precision, each and every one of his blasts hit exactly where it was needed as Torina retreated.

Before she and Ghor left the room, she cut the rope bridge from her side and it fell into the lava river where it caught fire.

"_No normal human could survive burns of this magnitude…"_

Epilogue-Hunter

"Man, girl, you certainly have potential." Gandrayda said with great admiration. "I'm glad you decided to become a Hunter."

Torina shrugged, playing a green three. "I did what I had to do. The idiot wanted to get the sword before his men did and it became his downfall."

"Is any of it true?" Rundas asked, playing a yellow three.

"I sure hope it was his down fall, though considering the stories I've heard, I guess I shouldn't be too hopeful."

"If you mean Dark Samus, it is an excellent theory." Admiral Dane agreed as he played a yellow two and gave his two remaining cards away, thus winning the third game of Uno that day.

The others around the table groaned.

"Incidentally," Gandrayda said gathering the hands together. "What was that rope bridge made out of?"

"A combination of haxtus-bull hide and Ta`llan steel."

"But the river still burned it?" Rundas said passing out everyone's new hand.

"Ta'lla's fire is what made the bridge. What is done can be undone." Torina said declining a new hand.

"What will happen the Ta`llans?" Samus asked. "Where will they go?"

"They will go to Bryyo for the time being and that brother of yours-" Dane turned to Torina.

"Ha`ck Vice."

"Yes, him. He will be the leader as will his kids and grandkids."

"By the way, if we move the group back, do I have to be the bus driver?" Gandrayda whined as Samus played a skip.

"It's your own fault." Ghor said playing another skip. "You were the one who said we probably wouldn't need a cruiser."

"Isa sisha wabble wabble." Gandrayda mumbled.

"Sorry, Drayda didn't catch that." Samus said cheerily.

"She said she would love to transport anybody anywhere." Torina said taking a sip of hot cocoa.

"I did not!" Gandrayda protested, smacking the discard pile.

"I translated appropriately." Torina protested in her turn. "That's what you get for speaking Gibberish."

_Finis_

Sneak Peak into the next installment!

Parasite

Part Two-Traitor

Chapter One

Coal was ordered to stand guard in front of the conference room and to only let in the Hunters, including the new one. The mysterious Torina.

When the Hunters went to Ta`lla and later to the planet Bryyo, he and his platoon had always been sent on patrols; neither had allowed a glimpse of this Torina everyone kept talking about.

A young girl in an old Federation trainee uniform with a black gloved arm calmly stepped up the ramp and headed to the door he was guarding.

Right before she reached him, he said as gruffly as possible, "Only Hunters are allowed, Soldier."

"I have special clearance."

Her demeanor made him look her twice over. Her hair glinted like fire, brought out by the contrasting blue and black of the uniform. She stood confidently, looking him straight in the visor of his battle suit/uniform.

"What is your name, Soldier?"

Her violet eyes sparked. "I'm not a 'soldier.' Sir." she added.

"What is your name?" He said impatiently.

"Torina."

The moment she said that his brain went on vacation. "Coal."

"No. Torina."

"I mean my name's Coal."

"O.k. Hello, Coal. My name's Torina." She said slowly.

"Yeah, I got that for once."

She checked her little flat sheet of a computer. "If you don't let me by, Sargent Coal, I'm going to be late."

"Oh." He stepped aside, still dazed. "The Aurora Unit will see you now."

"Thank you." she replied grandly.

Later, Coal wondered how on earth she was not looking confused.

Truth was that Torina was trying not to laugh as she headed into the conference room.


End file.
